Now, app cab driver check every month

Mobile aggregators have changed the dynamics of travel for Mumbaikars but on the flipside, due to the several complaints of molestation and harassment cases against women passengers, proper background check of drivers has come to the fore again. Over the last several months, the biggest problem faced by the government is getting details out from aggregators like Uber and Ola, who according to the officials from Transport department, share limited information. 

Now, for the first time, a basic skeletal of details that needs to be provided by the App-based aggregators has been prescribed by the four-member BC Khatua Committee, in which data should be updated and shared every month. In a bid to strengthen safety of passengers, the committee has categorically stated that the aggregator companies need to sign a consent letter with the driver or owner of a vehicle, who join them.

The RTO officials claim that over the last 2-3 years there are nearly 4 lakh vehicles that have joined the aggregator platforms in Mumbai and its metropolitan region but then there is little detail about the owners and drivers. Now, the report mentions the need for the aggregators to send a soft copy of the number of taxis plied by them and drivers working for them.

With details of each and every driver right from his name, address and government identity proof will fill the loophole.

“This will be updated every month before 7th. This is an important point taken up by the committee as we have been struggling to get correct numbers which would help us in maintaining data for transport planning,” said an official from Transport department. 

Apart from the safety aspect, the travel patterns too have changed since App based aggregators arrived in the scene. The government wants to create a mobility plan and maintain data for the same.